passive [2] voice:
a derived (or, according to some linguistic systems, an
inflected) form of a
transitive verb in
which the
object of the transitive verb becomes
the subject of the passive;
or, a clause which contains a passive verb.
Passives are normally intransitive;
they do not have any other object.
For example,
consider the clause "John read the book",
in which "the book" is the object.
The passive form of the verb "read" is
"be read", and in the corresponding passive clause,
"the book was read by John",
the subject is
"the book".
Contrast active [2].
[Spanish:
pasivo [2]]